“Living with the Fear of Death” – R. Nelson
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
ENCOURAGING WORD:
Everybody that was born throughout the ages at one time or other has feared death. It is the one thing that we all have had in common. We will all leave our earthly bodies in one way or another and from here we will go to our eternal destiny which is determined by whether or not you received the only propitiation for your sins. 2 Timothy 1:7; tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. It was not God who gave us the fear of death, it was given to us in the Garden of Eden by Satan when man chose evil over good. We also read in Hebrews 2:14-15; “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He (Jesus) Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him (Satan) who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” This verse is telling us that all of us were at one time subject to the bondage of the fear of death, but through the death that Jesus suffered on the cross, we have been freed from the bondage of fear. John 11: 25-26; gives us that promise, “Jesus said to her, “I amthe resurrection and the life.He who believes in me, though he maydie, he shall live.And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”This is the same question that I have to ask, do we believe this, and for that sake, do we believe that the Word of God is absolute truth? If your answer to these two questions is no, or I’m not sure, then you will continue to be in bondage to the fear of death until the day that you die.
There are two groups of people that do not fear death, the born-again Christians that have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior for which He paid the penalty for our sins. The other group are those that claim to be atheist. How ironic it is that the atheist should be the one to fear death the most, but because if their ignorance, they do not know better. We read this verse in the scriptures that clearly state the following, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, and there is none who does good.” Psalm 14:1; Notice it says, “The fool has said in his heart, not the wise man.” Notice also, it says in their heart, not in their mind and here is what the Bible has to say about this, Romans 1:20 tells us, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” Along with this verse we read in Romans 1:18; “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” The so-called atheists know the truth but choose to suppress the truth through unrighteousness. (The life styles that they choose)
There are so many different views from different religions on death and what happens after death. There is only one way to salvation and that is through Jesus Christ which is clearly stated in the following couple of verses of the Bible, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. “Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14: 1-6. Again, what does it say,“In my Father’s House are many mansions? It appears to me as if we, who believe in Jesus Christ, are going to a wonderful place when we leave our earthly body.
When we truly believe the promises of the scriptures that involve the death of a true Christian, how could we fear death? Here is what Paul said in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. I think I can make a comparison that all women that have had children will understand. When you are about to give birth, there is a tremendous amount pain, but once that child is born and the pain is over, you get the beautiful blessing of being a part of motherhood. I think it is safe to say, that the pain that a women endure during birth does not compare to the glory of raising your very own flesh and blood from being a wee helpless little child to one day being a full grown adult. I have to believe this is true, otherwise why would women have any more than one child if the glory did not out way the physical pain. This is what the Apostle Paul is telling us, no matter how much we suffer in this life, it does not compare to the glory that awaits us in heaven. Paul also says this in 2 Corinthians 5:8; “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” This verse is a rebuke to those that believe in soul sleep. Would Paul have said, He would rather die if he knew that he would be in the grave two thousand years from that time, no, he knew that the second He would pass from this life, he would be immediately with the Lord.
One more story that confirms what happens when we die, we read this in Luke 16: 19-24; “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ The poor beggar went immediately to Abraham’s bosom which was paradise where believers of that day went until Jesus opened the gates of heaven right after His death on the cross. The rich man went directly to Hades where he is presently waiting judgement which will take place at the White Throne Judgement. He has been there for some two thousand years or so. He is not sleeping in his grave, he has been in torment ever since he died back two thousand years ago.
People need to understand that we are not a cosmic accident, God Himself created us for His glory. Unfortunately, very few will fulfill that glory that awaits those that believe. We have a choice to believe or reject Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and the sad truth is written in the scriptures where we read the following, Matthew 7:14; “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. One of the most eye opening verses in the scriptures is when we read, “few will be that find the way” God means what He says and says what He means…few is few! But once again as you hear me often say, “The choice is yours!”If you are clinging to this world for all your happiness, you are going to miss out on the greatest purpose for your life which is eternity with Jesus Chest. When unbelievers pass away, they will say, “I’m leaving my home” (earth) but for the believer, when he passes on, he says, “I’m going home.” (Heaven) Where is your home?
People have a huge misconception of what heaven is like. One thing I can tell you is this, we will not be floating around on a cloud playing a harp, because if that were the case, I would not be too excited about doing that for all eternity, would you? When people get this idea, it is no wonder they are not looking forward to heaven. But here is what the Bible tell us about heaven, first we read in Revelation 21:18-21; “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.” We also read this in Revelation 22:1-2; “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” This is about the best description the Bible gives, but there are more, so we have to have a pretty good imagination to really understand what it will look like. As a matter of fact, here is what Jesus tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:9; “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” Try to imagine the most beautiful Place that you can think of, whatever you come up with is not even close to what awaits us in heaven.
One more story that I would like to share. About a year or so ago, a very dear woman that I knew ever since I was about two years old passed away. I was blessed with being able to meet with her on many occasions right up to her death. When this wonderful woman was minutes away from breathing her last, she told her three boys who were at her bedside, make sure that you know Jesus. I’m not sure if those were her exact words, but my point is this, she was ready to go home to be with the Lord. I like to think that she talked with Jesus just before being transferred into heaven, then told her boys what Jesus said and then went home with Jesus leading the way. She was over ninety years old and she had a wonderful life right up to her last breath. We need to understand, as Belle did, death is not the final stage of existence and if she could come back and tell us about it, I’m sure that everybody of us would turn to the Lord and live the rest of their life serving Jesus Christ. I believe she is in heaven with Jesus asking Jesus to make sure that her boys are saved before they breathe their last. Psalm 116:15; tells us, “Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.” Jesus takes great joy in taking his saints home. The word “Saint” is derived from a Greek verb (hagiazo) whose basic meaning is “to set apart,” “sanctify,” or “make holy.” When the Bible speaks of the Saints, it is referring to all those that have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and have been born-again into the Holy Spirit. So, if you have received salvation through Jesus Christ, then yes, you are a saint. God appoints who the saints are, not man!
ACTION POINT:
Whatever your preconceived thoughts are as to what heaven is like, do not waste your time, use your time wisely to make sure that you get to see heaven first hand. And here is what Paul tells us in a simple to understand way how you make sure that we see heaven first hand, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,” This is a great explanation of the Gospel in 4 verses. One more thing that I need to add is this, if you are a true believing Christian, you are indestructible until God is done with you. As long as you are in God’s hands and He still has work for you, you will not die, you are basically invincible. And when God is done using you for His purpose, He will then take you home. I personally cannot find anything more comforting in this world than knowing that I am in God’s hands until He is ready to take me home! Like Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8; where we read again,“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Where I will repeat, “I am confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from my body, and to be present with the Lord. “Amen!
A Commentary from our Chaplin – R. Fritz
Living with the Fear of Death
Fear is a spiritual issue because fear in and of itself is a Spirit. 2Timothy 1:7 says “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” God did not give us the spirit of fear, it came from Satin. Why do we accept anything from Satin? It is because we accept the thoughts we get from Satan because we do not release all the thoughts that are not from God. The mind is the battlefield where Satin operates. Fear is the opposite of faith. Faith is the trusting in God when life looks like the things around us are falling apart and believing your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will take care of you. Faith is the hope you should see with your “spiritual eyes” when things look impossible because you might not see it with your regular eyes. Fear is listening to your feelings, thoughts and dwelling on your future, believing something bad is coming. This is why the Holy Spirit is so important in your life. The Holy Spirit lets you know which of Gods tools (bible verses) to stop the spirit of fear from operating in your mind. The most important verse to me was 2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” This was a life changer for me. When I speak this verse, every thought has to come though the obedience of Jesus Christ. Fear first steals your faith for a moment, it is then when fear can operate in your mind. Fear is not losing your faith, it is momentarily dealing with fear in your mind and forgetting your faith. That is why the Holy Spirit brings this verse to me. I can stop fear immediately and my faith is renewed. Death of course is in the future and it is something we should not be concerned with if we have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The heart is where God judges and the Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. The Lord knows your heart and your thoughts. Ezekiel 36:26 says “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I give you a heart of flesh.” We have a stony heart (sinful heart) by nature. The Old Testament verse talks about a new heart when we have the new spirit, “The Holy Spirit”, until then we have a stony heart. Mathew 15:18-20 says and this is Jesus talking “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands defiles not a man.” It gets back to the heart and which heart you have, the stony heart or the new heart with a new spirit. This is what the Holy Spirit has been showing me the last couple of days. Look around listen to people talk. This will tell you which heart they have. Matthew 12:34 says “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, that every idle word that men speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” This says whatever is in your heart, your mouth speaks, whether it is evil, wicked, uncaring words or speaking positive, uplifting, godly words. At the day of judgement, you will have to answer for every word that you have spoken whether your words were justified or your words shall condemn you. Let’s face it, our heart tells everything where we are spiritually. Our words, thoughts, if we do not control them, will eventually come out of our mouth and every word is accountable in the day of judgement. The new spirit in the Old Testament verses are speaking of the Holy Spirit. That stony heart (sinful heart) can only be changed into a new heart through the Holy Spirit and our hearts are judged by God. The verse above says “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” God knows and you cannot hide the condition of your heart from him. You can hide from most people and say the right words that sound good. There are lots of spirits that will try to copy the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will show God’s true people who is right and speaks the truth. Jesus says in John 14:15-17 if ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for He dwells with you and shall be in you.” Notice it says “if you love me, keep my commandments” then I will pray the Father. It’s not automatic. Without the Holy Spirit, that is “Spiritual death”. Spiritual death is where you remain when you continue with a stony heart! I have gotten spiritually deep with the readers.
What I am trying to say is this, if you have the Holy Spirit in you and not just around you and you love Jesus, you will do whatever he asks you to do. That is a relationship where I can tell you the Holy Spirit gives me answers as people are asking questions. The Holy Spirit also shows me issues that have been hidden deep in my soul from me and the Holy Spirit helps me deal with those issues. We also have conversations about what the Holy Spirit wants me to do, He is like a best friend with all the answers for all the questions we have but sometimes answers do not always come immediately. I pray that every person that wants the Holy Spirit, gets the Holy Spirit because it will change your life. What I did was read all verses that talk about the Holy Spirit in the Bible to understand the Holy Spirit. Matthew 5:8 says and this is Jesus talking “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
In Conclusion – R. Nelson
The subject of death is something that everybody fears at one time or another mostly because of the unknown of what lies ahead. Do we parish into nonexistence, do we get reincarnated, do we fly around of a cloud playing harp for the rest of our existence or is it one of many things that are taught by religions throughout the world? Without hesitation I can say with absolute honesty, “None of the above “When we pass away from the life that we enjoy here on earth, which is a very short time compared to eternity, we go directly to one of two places. Heaven or hell, there is no middle ground as some religious sects teach. Hebrews 9:27; “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,” You do not go to any holding tank determining whether you have been good or bad, you go directly to you finale destination, however, those that go to hades do have one more appointment with Jesus Christ, that is the white throne judgement where the books will be opened and you will be tried and found guilty for every sin that you ever committed and your penalty will be justified accordingly. But know this, the white throne judgment will not determine whether you go to heaven or hell, because that will have already been decided. This Judgement will determine your degree of punishment for all the evil that you had done. Now, the good news, when you decide to follow Jesus Christ and submit your life to Him, it is then that all the sins that you have ever committed are wiped clean, and you will be found righteous and you will not stand before God at the White Throne Judgment because there will be nothing to judge, Jesus Christ already paid for your sins. This is why the true born-again Christian should not fear death. Matthew 10:28 tells us, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. It is true that nobody looks forward to how they might die, because that is unknown, but the true Christians knows that death here on earth is the beginning of eternity with God in paradise. What is there to fear? Friends, remove the fear of death that seems to plague everybody and turn to the one they gave you eternal life through His death and resurrect. That person is Jesus Christ and He is the only way to heaven. We read in John 16:4; “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” You either believe it or you don’t. Your eternal destination will determine how you answer this question! “This is truly written to the glory of God, and Inspired by the Holy Spirit!” Amen!